US RVG Suprises

[Morganized]

Am I mistaken in thinking that is exactly what happened on Lonnie Smith's Think? I seem to recall noticing that the recording session did not take place in Rudy's studio and he did not handle the original recording session.

My memory might not be correct but I am sure someone will "correct" me if necessary.

There's quite a few in the RVG series that were never Rudy's to begin with. Birth of the Cool and Clifford Brown's Jazz Immortal (not even Blue Notes) and most of Miles Volumes 1 & 2 for instance. So, it's not without precedence.

Those Hutcherson/ Land albums get my vote.

Thanks Rosco,

Maybe I am not losing it after all.

It does bring up an interesting point. Query. Which version do people like better? Does Rudy "improve" the original?

Maybe the making of a new thread. Especially in light of the recent announcement by Prestige/Concord/OJC that some of their sessions may get the RVG treatment.

[jazzbo]

In my opinion Rudy's remasering of the Monk, Jackson, Davis et al disc and tape material he did not record is the best sounding cds of the material.

[montg]

In my opinion Rudy's remasering of the Monk, Jackson, Davis et al disc and tape material he did not record is the best sounding cds of the material

I agree. The Monk and Bud Powell CDs I have from this series sound wonderful.

[Rosco]

RVG's remastering of Birth of the Cool was revelatory!

I don't know how he did it but for the first time you can really hear what the French horns and tuba contributed to the music with real clarity. I thought he did a superb job on music that truly deserved the best.

That one stands out for me; There were others that I liked better and others I wasn't so impressed with (I recall Out to Lunch being a disappointment) but I'd have to go back and do an A>B comparison to be sure. To be honest, some of the regular McMaster versions sounded fine to these ears. It's hard to escape the feeling that some of these remasters are done for marketing purposes than for any real musical reasons.

But these are minor gripes; on the whole I think it's been a good series.

[Ron S]

RVG's remastering of Birth of the Cool was revelatory!

I don't know how he did it but for the first time you can really hear what the French horns and tuba contributed to the music with real clarity. I thought he did a superb job on music that truly deserved the best.

This explains--at least in part--how he did it: unlike previous releases of these tracks, he used the original session masters instead of the masters prepared for the 1957 12" LP, which presumably is why Blue Note issued the RVG only 2 years after issuing the "Complete" edition.

[Rosco]

Yes indeed. I'd forgotten about the 'rediscovery' of the original tapes.

[Guest]

I'd like to see an RVG issue of Jackie McLean's New Soil.

[Daniel A]

Not recorded by RVG, and probably not whithin the range of a possible Hutcherson Select, but let's hope for it anyway:

It's exactly as good as the line-up suggests.

And I'm glad Bobby is thinking of his health; he's smoking filter cigarettes!

[J.A.W.]

So much negativity about "mastering", so little discussion about the music.

A lot of "modern mastering" with all its compression/maximization, bumped-up highs, noise reduction, etc. gives me headaches and makes it impossible for me to enjoy the music.

[Big Al]

RVG's remastering of Birth of the Cool was revelatory!

I don't know how he did it but for the first time you can really hear what the French horns and tuba contributed to the music with real clarity. I thought he did a superb job on music that truly deserved the best.

This explains--at least in part--how he did it: unlike previous releases of these tracks, he used the original session masters instead of the masters prepared for the 1957 12" LP, which presumably is why Blue Note issued the RVG only 2 years after issuing the "Complete" edition.

The RVG of this session is the reason I've finally warmed up to it. Previous versions did nothing for me; this version feels like the complete picture.

[Guest]

To my ears, the complaints about the remastering are off-base. I have yet to hear a Blue Note session where I prefer an earlier CD issue to the RVG version. Maybe my ears are just tuned differently...

[DrJ]

jazzbo posted:

In my opinion Rudy's remasering of the Monk, Jackson, Davis et al disc and tape material he did not record is the best sounding cds of the material.

Yes inDEED! That's why there should be a whole lot more RVGs of earlier material like this, late 40s/early 50s vintage, using the same approach of going back to the original masters.

[BruceH]

Sue me. I like the clarity and dynamics of the RVG sound; it seems to suit my stereo fine and I like the choices they've made. I hope they get to more early Blue Note material, and to the titles mentioned here, and the series doesn't run out of steam (as the Prestige RVG series begins).

Sue you??? I want to shake yer hand, buddy!